20.12.04

Community leaders will meet today (Monday) to discuss their response to last week’s revelations that UUP MP Lady Hermon campaigned to block grant-aid for the 40-job Daily Ireland project after being briefed by the Irish News.
The confidential briefing in London was carried out by PR consultant — and Policing Board member — Tom Kelly and Irish News Chief Executive Dominic Fitzpatrick.
Leading community worker Gerry McConville, of meeting organisers the Falls Community Council, said that the entire community should galvanise against “Hermon’s attempts to impose political vetting”.
“Discrimination on political grounds, as requested by Hermon, is illegal,” he said.
Today’s public meeting takes place at the Cultúrlann Gallery on the Falls Road at 2pm.
West Belfast MP Gerry Adams said last night that Lady Hermon’s call for “political vetting is irreconcilable with the equality agenda”.